DEL MAR — There’s no debate. The case is closed. Gun Runner is the best older horse in America.
The 4-year-old son of Candy Ride capped an exceptional 2017 campaign Saturday with an exclamation mark, rolling to a 2-1/4-length victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar that most assuredly will result in the colt being named Horse of the Year in January.
Gun Runner took the lead right out of the gate, set fast fractions of 22.50, 46.31 and 1:10.50 for the mile and a quarter and then staved off a challenge at the head of the stretch by Collected to win his fourth consecutive Grade I race on the heels of victories in the Stephen Foster Handicap, Whitney Stakes and Woodward.

It didn’t matter that early speed was not faring well on the main track Saturday. Gun Runner’s handlers were confident they had the best horse, choosing to have jockey Florent Geroux break smartly and play catch me if you can.

They couldn’t.

“We watched the (earlier) races,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said. “But we let Gun Runner be who he is. You witnessed why we feel the way we do about Gun Runner.”

After a nice 3-year-old campaign that ended with Gun Runner winning the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs in November, he turned into a monster at 4. As Asmussen says, he’s bigger, stronger and faster than at any time in his career.

It was the sixth Breeders’ Cup victory for Asmussen and his second in the Classic following Curlin’s win at Monmouth Park in 2007. It was Geroux’s fourth Breeders’ Cup victory and first in the Classic.

“This means a lot,” Geroux said. “It’s the biggest win of my career. It’s the big race with Horse of the Year on the line. I’m glad he was the best horse.”

While the victory was sweet revenge for the Gun Runner camp following their loss to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup on March 25, Arrogate’s dead-heat for fifth with Gunnevera as the 2-1 favorite was a tough pill for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith to swallow.

Baffert said he thought he could get Arrogate back to the colt that stood the sport on its ear with four consecutive Grade I victories in late 2016 and early this year, but it wasn’t to be. He ducked in at the start while breaking from the rail and was never a factor in front of an on-track crowd of 37,692.

“He’s one of the best horses I’ve ever trained,” Baffert said. “He’s so much better than that. It’s disappointing to see him go out like that.”

Baffert took solace in the fact he finished second with Collected and third with West Coast, but that didn’t seem to matter to the Hall of Fame trainer.

“I hate to make any excuses for the big horse (Arrogate), but he’s just not the horse he was,” he said. “He struggles over this track … I don’t know what happened to him. He’s just losing interest and I think that’s what it is. He’s run so many incredible races that I really think he’s just losing interest. That’s what it is. It’s time (for him to retire).”

Smith said he’s tried to convince himself the past few months that it’s not the track, that Arrogate would show up with his A game Saturday. Instead, he showed up with his C game and was no match for the winner.

“He just doesn’t like this track,” Smith said. “For whatever reason, I hate to say it, he has shown it time and time again and showed it today. His bad start is what he’s been doing every time he runs here.
“When he’s on his A race, he’s one of the fastest horses we have ever seen. He just won’t run over here. I have tried to talk myself into thinking he would. He has just showed me time and time again that he wouldn’t.”

Arrogate, who is being retired to stud, ends his career as North America’s all-time leading money earner with $17,422,600. He won seven of 11 races.

Gun Runner made it 11 of 18 with three seconds and two thirds by taking home the winner’s prize of $3.3 million. He’s earned $8,988,500 in a career that most likely will continue with a start in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.